The Cold War: When nuclear weapons kept the entire world on the edge of M.A.D. – Mutually Assured Destruction. As Russia, China and the USA flex their military muscles on the global stage today, ‘M.A.D. World’ takes a close look at the last time we were threatened by the might of world superpowers: The Cold War. <br /><br />In this episode:<br /><br />- The USSR holds Berlin to ransom by blocking all land routes into the city. Berlin is<br />saved by a continuous stream of aircraft flying in from the West bringing food, fuel and<br />other supplies.<br /><br />- The small countries of Western Europe form a military alliance with the USA to protect<br />themselves from the enormous military might of the Soviet Union. The NATO agreement<br />states that if one member is attacked, then all signatories will defend that nation.<br /><br />- The West is terrified to learn that the Russians have successfully tested their first<br />atomic bomb. Both sides now have the most terrifying weapons ever created; but no-one<br />wants to use them. The nuclear stalemate begins.<br /><br />- South Korea is invaded by the communist North starting a 3 year war that will kill 10%<br />of the Korean people. United Nations forces are used in action for the first time to<br />defend South Korea and President Truman makes preparations to use atomic bombs if necessary to win the war.<br /><br />- An atomic bomb a thousand times more powerful than Hiroshima creates horror and awe<br />when it is tested in the Pacific. The world now has a weapon that can wipe out almost<br />all life on the planet.<br /><br />- As the frostiness of the Cold War sets in, both east and west are scared of losing military and government secrets to the other. A network of spies and defectors develops and<br />causes paranoia on both sides leading to show trials, imprisonment and assassinations.<br />
